Straightening apparatus for strip material



Jan. 29, 1946. P. NAEGELI 2,393,702 sTRAIGHTENI-NG APPARATUS FOR STRIP'MATERIAL Filed March so, 1944 ,40 ima@ M .OM/2

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Patented Jan. 29, 1946 UNITED y STATE AsTriAre.'HTENING APPARATUS Fon STRIP l MATERIAL charles Patrick Naegexi, Long Island City, N. Y., vassigrior to General Motors Corporation, De'

troit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application March 30,1944, Serial No. 528,146 11 (Cl. 140-148) yThis invention relates to straightening apparatus f or strip material, especially wire for heading machines, and comprises 'all of the features. of novelty herein disclosed. Ordinarily, when it thevfeed roll 22. If'desired,` the upper roll may also be geared to the shaft and the direction of' rotation of the rolls is indlcatedby the arrows.

The carriage has switch operating screws 34 and 3B, the former being arranged to close a nor#v many open switch as and melatten being arranged to open a normally closed switch 40.'

As indicated in the diagram, the normally closed y switch 40 is'wired to a coil 42 and the normally is desired to straighten wire in connection with a. 5 open switch 38 is wired to a ground M. The heading machine, a roll type Wire straightener coll 42, when energized by closing of the switch is Xed in position and the pulling ofthe wire 38, closes a normally open four-pole switch 46 through the straightening rolls is effected by the which will startv the motor M. An upper blade driven feed rolls on the heading machine.' The 48 on this switch is connected to a ground 5d varying amount of power necessary at the feed to providea holding' circuit for the coil I2 after rolls to pull the wire through the straightener,l the switch 38 opens. due to differences in bends,` kinks, etc. is apt to Assuming .the intermittentlyoperating header cause variables in the length of wire fed into the feed rolls 4 and 6 orother instrumentalities have header for the shaping of the work pieces and v pulled the carriage or slide I4 to the right hand hence the work pieces are not uniform. 'This ex. 15 limit, the screw 34 will close the switch 38 theretra, variable load on the header feed rolls is esby energizing the vcoil I2 and closing the switch pecially heavy and undesirable when the wire is i6 to start the motor M. 'I'he motor then drives of heavy gauge-- An objectv of the invention acthe rolls 22 and 24 which grip the wire and the cordingly is to provide a' wire straightening apcarriage pulls itself along by the wire to the left paratus which will avoid the above noted and hand limit of-travel, the straightening rolls ironotherI defects in prior apparatus. ing out the kinks and bends. The screw 3i ulti- To these ends and' also to improve generally mately opens the switch 40 which breaks thel upon devices of this character. the invention conholding circuit throughthe coil i2 and theswitch v sists in the various matters hereinafter described 4i opens to stop the motor. Thereafter the ca rand claimed. In its broader aspects, the inven- 25 riage floats or slides to the right again with the tion is not necessarily limited to the specific conwire as the wire is pulled forward by the heading' struction selected for illustrative purposes inthe machine. Y accompanying drawingin which The straightening apparatus straightens the Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus. wire without putting any load on the heading Fig. 2 is a diagram. 30 machine rolls l and 6 as occurs when a straight- Fig. 3 is an end elevation of Fig. 1 partlyl in erung apparatus is xed in positionand the headsection. ing machine must not only advance thewire to The numeral 2 indicates the frame of a conthe heading dies but must also. pull the wire ventional cold heading machine having-feed rolls through the straightener. The rolls of the pres- 4 and 6 for feeding wire W from a reel 8 tothe 35 ent heading machine will have at most only tha heading dies. This is illustrative of any machine vintermittent extra but vlight load of pulling the for feeding strip material. In front of the main carriage to the right along its lubricated ways. frame is an auxiliary frame Il) having lubricated The'reiis thus escape the heavy load of straight ways l2 for a carriage or slide il which carening the wire and this insures a. more reliable ries the wire straightening apparatus. Journalled 40 feed of the wire te the heading dies and more in the Carriage are lower Straightening rolls I6 uniform work. 'Ihe stiff wire,whether advancing and 811119961' straightening roll I8 the latter being or stationary, is always in the gripof the header adjustable by a Screw 2li; Also on the carriage feed rolls and furnishes the resistance upon which are feed Tous n and u which grip the Wife the the feed rolls of the carriage operate to slide lower T011 22 at least being driven and the upper' 45 the carriage. The surface speed of the feed rolls rou u having a releasing mhanismzs 'of the carriage is at least as great as the total PrOJe'Cting dOWnWI'dlv from the carriage is a advance of the wire and, under some conditions. bracket 28 Supporting ar electric mctcr M havthe carriage may have movement to the ieri with ing a sprocket wheel driving a sprocket chain 30, respect to the wire at about the Same Speed as j leading to a sprocket wheel A32 on the shaft of 50 the wire is being intermittently advanced by the heading machine. 'I'he heading machinewillthen ygo through numerous cycles while the carriage travels to the left hand limit switch.

nI claim:

1. In combination with a machine having wire Y feeding means, a carriage, a wire straightening Y and gripping the wire between them for shifting the carriage with respect to the wire.

3. In combination with a machine having wire' feeding means, a carriage, wire straightening rolls journalled on the carriage, and driven feed rolls on the carriage and gripping the wire between them for shifting the carriage and the'straightening rolls with respect to the wire.v

4. In combination with a, machine having wire feeding means, a carriage, a wire straightening device on the carriage, a motor mounted on the carriage, and feed rolis'engaging the wire and driven by the motor to shift thecarriage and the straightening device with respect .to the wire.

5. In combination with a machine having wire feeding means, a. carriage, a wire straightening device on the carriage, a motor mounted on the carriage, feed rolls engaging the wire and driven by the motorl and a pair of limit switches in the f path of the carriage for starting the motor at one limit of travel and stopping it at another limit.

6. In combination with a machine having wire feeding means, a carriage shiftabie towards and from the feeding means, a. wire straightening device on-the shiftable carriage, rolls on the 7. In eembinaiien with a maehine having wire feeding means, acarriage shiftable towards and from the feeding means, a wire straightening device on 'the carriage, means on the carriage for gripping the wire, mechanism for actuating the gripping means to shift the carriage away from the wire feed means, and means for stopping the actuating mechanism to cause the carriage to re- 9. Ini eombination'with a machine having wire I feeding means, a wire straightening device engaging the wire and movable 'with respect to the gaging the wire, and power operated mechanism carriage for gripping the wire between them,

driving means for driving the rolls to cause the carriage to pull itself and the straightening device along the wire in a direction away from independent of the wire feeding means and reacting on the `wire as itis engaged by the feeding means for operating the straightening device without. adding to the load on the wire feeding means in feeding the wire.

" 11. In combination with a machine having wire feeding means, a wire straightening device engaging the wire,'and mechanism for operating the straightening device without adding to the load on .the feeding! means, said mechanism comprising a pair-of driven rolls gripping the wire for causing the straightening device to travel along the -wire away from the .feeding means.

. CHARLES PATRICK NAEGELI. 

